


The Bite of 87

by Queen_Emmy_Twopoint_oh



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Michael is Fritz Smith, Michael-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-05-27 03:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15015881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Emmy_Twopoint_oh/pseuds/Queen_Emmy_Twopoint_oh
Summary: In 1983, Jeremy Fitzgerald knew Michael Afton.In 1987, Jeremy thinks he's found Michael again. But his best friend is a different man now.





	1. Chapter One

You wouldn't think it looking at him,but Michael Afton is only twenty one. Looking at him,you'd see a man on his death bed. Or maybe even a corpse. 

He was only fifteen when Elizabeth died. He doesn't like to talk about,and prefers not think about how she was only ten and he was supposed to be watching her and Steven. 

He was only seventeen when his brother won't stop crying. A ten year old shouldn't have to cry so much. He hasn't smiled since the accident. Michael is seventeen when his brother is taken from him,and yet again it's his fault.

At nineteen,he wonders just how much he has left to lose. And then he finds his father's note.

_Put her back together._

 He tried,and found out exactly how much he had left to lose.

The machine unceremoniously ripped out most everything in him,and what it didn't,Ennard did. 

He was so  _stupid_ to fall for it's tricks. He should have known that what happened to Elizabeth was only an accident by way of her being there. He wonders just  _why_ his father built them. 

Was he ever really the good man Michael thought he was,even before Elizabeth? 

He does not to blame her. Not when the fault is his.

_He was supposed to be watching her. He looked away for a second,to ask Steven where he had left his Fredbear. In the second his gaze slipped,she had run off._

_And he and Steven saw the whole thing._

_How her eyes darkened,her stomach split open,the claw a child could never escape._

Michael didn't understand what he felt at the time,dread and fear,but he knew he would never see Lizzie again. Looking back,he would have shielded Steven's eyes,he would have never let his sister out of his sight. There was so much neither of his siblings would ever experience. Prom,learning to drive,a first job. Neither of them could find love,get married,maybe even have their own kids.

At seventeen,his one care in the world is his brother. Steven Fredrick Afton. Michael just wants to see him smile,hear him laugh. He remembers before Elizabeth died,he lived for that laughter. He's dying without it. 

When Steven was small,he loved the animatronics,especially Fredbear. He can't look at them without crying now. That gives Michael a pain in the chest that nothing can solve. 

He takes Steven's tears into his own hands. It's not like his father's home anyway. 

He has five friends,but two of them are closest. Charlie,the daughter of his father's old business partner,and Jeremy,his neighbor. They are the only ones he lets know about everything-how his dad hasn't been home in days,how the police stopped by,what he thinks might be blood in the basement. How he misses Lizzie. (Her room is still the same,like he's waiting for her)

Charlie understands missing Lizzie,because her own twin brother is missing,presumed dead. She doesn't understand why he attempts to tease or scare Steven back to laughter. It's kind of a rotten plan.

She moves before Steven's birthday.

Jeremy is the one who gives him the Foxy mask. His idea is that if Steven loves Fredbear so much,he'll be happy to see the masks. 

He's Foxy,Jere's Bonnie,Jonah's Freddy,and poor Zachary is Chica. He always tries to get anyone to switch with him.

It's not Jeremy's idea alone to pick up Steven and get him to kiss Fredbear. David and Jonah think it would be fun.

Later,Michael would understand that Charlie and Jeremy  _were_ trying to help,but David and Jonah just wanted to see him cry.

The plan was just for the masked gang to lift Steven up above the stage so that he could kiss the golden bear's head. That did not happen. 

_He was supposed to protect him._

_Michael could remember every sickening detail with painful accuracy._

_The air that day was stale and hot,no chance of a breeze or summer rain. Sun rained down on him while his brother lay waiting for the paramedics. The **CRUNCH** of Steven's skull reverberated in his ears. His mask was sprayed with blood,as was his grey tank top. He wore it in attempt to "beat the heat."._

_It didn't seem to matter;all he could feel now was cold,tears running tracks down his face._

_His father,William,is holding his face in hands scratched._

_The paramedics won't let him undo the top part of the springlock costume._

_"You've done enough,"they tell him. They already know what happened._

_Steven dies in the hospital five days later._

He doesn't return home that night. 

* * *

 

In 1987,he is no longer human. He didn't die,but everything is wrong. 

His torso is practically empty. Ennard removed what took up the space. Most of his bones are either gone or healed odd. He's fairly certain he shouldn't be capable of any sort of movement. Michael hopes he still has his brain,because he doesn't think the wizard would grant him both. 

His skin is a deathly purple,and he can't go out without being caked in makeup. For this reason,he works night shift only. 

And his smell. 

1987 brings many exciting innovations to America-the boom box,Apple and the new Pizzeria. 

The new animatronics are shiny and new,made from hard plastic and tied to a criminal database. But this doesn't save them from the past.

But Fritz Smith promises he will.

* * *

 

When Jeremy Fitzgerald was fifteen,his main concern was whether the kids at his new school would like him. 

He needn't worry,because Michael would. And they became fast friends,bonding over video games and sports and stuff.

Charlie,another of his classmates,pops into his life.

That spring,Mike's sister,Elizabeth dies in a terrible accident.  Michael is shaken,depressed. Once,at a sleep over, Jeremy woke up and Michael was crying in his sleep.

He wants Michael to be happy,the way he was before his sister died.

He doesn't really know what having a sibling is like-Jeremy's an only child. He likes to think that Michael is his brother.

Mike wants the same thing for his brother. On a terrible winter day,he tells them that he hasn't seen his dad for a couple days,and when he's home,it's in the basement. 

He comes to school with bruises more than once,a bogus tale of a fight with a sophomore.

 This is the summer that Marie Thomas moves to town. He is seventeen,and she's sixteen. They go on a couple dates.

The summer they are seventeen,Michael is frantic. He just wants his brother happy.

Charlie and Jeremy just want to help. 

After the incident,he hardly sees Michael,even at school. 

He stays in the area,after graduation. Flunking out of community college,he ends up doing odd jobs. He meets up with Marie again,and things start to happen.

He's buried Michael. No one knows what happened to him anyway.

 

When he is twenty,he asks Marie Thomas to marry him. She's walking in after a long shift at the hospital,slipping the shoes off her feet. Her ginger-bread hair is slipping out of it's tie. It just slips out from him at his post making dinner in their apartment. 

She laughs and says yes.

He tries to invite Michael to the wedding,but no one seems to know where he is,even Charlie.

There's no best man at his wedding. 

 

The opportunity at Freddy's comes at exactly the right time. Marie and he just found out they are expecting,and while no one's said it: kids are expensive. A steady job wouldn't hurt. It was a graveyard shift.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael works on rebuilding his family.

The scarred lines on his torso (and for that matter,his entire body) aren't smooth. They're rough,swollen with a thousand stitches from hands that didn't quite understand being human yet. (Humans have five fingers,three joints a finger. None of Ennard had been human in a long time)

Not all of the damage is from the Scooper;the same morning Ennard had stolen Michael's body,they had walked him across the street and got him hit by a car. The driver,Scott,had apologized profusely.

Close encounters with animatronics added to scars. He wonders what'd happen if he undid them. Would he die? Would there even be anything in there? There is  _something,_ although he's fairly certain it's not human. Ennard's getaway was not clean,and in the winter he can feel cold metal in his body. He hopes it's just a screw and not a chest-burster. There's wouldn't be enough of him to put back together again. 

_I will put you back together._

He doesn't know when it started.

1986,probably. He was all alone in the world. No family,no Charlie,no Jeremy-hell not even Ennard stuck around. 

He's not quite sure when he got the idea,but he decided to...redesign his father's work. And Henry's. His legacy would not be a son trying to undo the actions of a deranged man,but instead something....pleasant. By the time he had moved to the New and Improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria,in 1987,he had completely redesign Funtime Freddy and Foxy,as well as Ballora,but he couldn't get a Circus Baby design that felt right. She was,after all,kind of his sister. The animatronics were more of a family than his own. At least they had been there for him. 

He decides to start with Foxy,his old favorite. For a while,he debated wether to use the original red Foxy color palette or the whites and pinks of Funtime Foxy. In the end,he decided to postpone the decision,as there was much work to do before paint could be discussed.

"Hello,Foxy. Do you remember me?"

* * *

 _"Uh,hello? Hello, hello? Uh,hello and welcome to your new summer job at the new and improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Uh, I'm here to talk you through some of the things you can expect to see during your first week here and to help you get started down this new and exciting career path._ "

"Who is this? Why couldn't we do this in the orientation?"Jeremy questioned,although when there was no response,he realized it was just a taping,and he would get no further answers. The man recorded was very awkward,stuttering and unsure. He flicked through the cameras,not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"- _tied into some kind of criminal database, so they can detect a predator a mile away. Heck, we should be paying them to guard you."_

That seemed strange. But hey,he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Easy money,and he could probably just sleep through his shift.

" _he expressed concern that certain characters seemed to move around at night, and even attempted to get into his office. Now, from what we know, that should be impossible. Uh, that restaurant should be the safest place on earth."_

The Phone Guy sounded unsure. Jeremy flipped through the cameras again. 

Shit,did Chica's beak fall off? Where were her eyes?

And where was Bonnie?

 


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing about this pizzeria was right. To a normal man or woman,they might have not noticed,seeing just a blatant cash grab. A child would be exuberant at the new and improved "Freddie's. "

To Michael,however,it was very very  _off._ It was more than just how the bleached carpet smell mingled with the pizza smell. More than the odd designs for the animatronics. He was a Fazbear employee with two different locations under his belt. 

Something had been brought from the old location to here. At the old location,the animatronics had been made of fabric,which picked up a scent. They reeked.

There was also the rumor that four children had gone missing. Between that and their rotting smell,the authorities had the old Freddy Fazbear pizzeria shut down.

The new "Freddie's" featured happy,plastic animatronics with rosy-red cheeks. It reminded Michael of the toys popular when he was a teenager,and of course Circus Baby's.

The whole gang was back again,with new friends,although apparently the original Foxy was still used. The "Toy Foxy",had been supposedly ripped apart and Frankensteined back together by children. Michael did not believe a word of this-it was just a bad idea.

And logically,it didn't either. The new "Toys" we're designed to be sturdy,with steel frames and plastic plating. He didn't buy that  _children_ had been able to take it apart.

Although,his sister had liked to do the same to a Funtime Foxy doll before she died.

He didn't allow that thought to linger;he was here for a job interview. Despite having been open a week or so,he hoped they had yet to fill the night shift.

"Ah,you must be Fritz,correct? Here to apply for the night watch?"

* * *

 

"You should have seen him,Foxy."Michael complained to his work. He put on a falsetto,impersonating his new boss. " _No,we don't have a night position open,but we are in need of a day guard."_

Foxy whined as Michael fiddled with a loose bolt at his jaw. 

"Although,they did have two versions of you. One of them was the original Red Fox version. He's seen better days,and smells like a corpse you febreezed. Kind of a shame though,he was my favorite."

"Arf."

"Yes,I know I don't smell much better. The other was some kind of redesign. Looked more like you,all tore apart. It couldn't speak either."

" _Ruff. Bark."_

_"_ I know you can't speak. But it's voice tape was broken,just made squeaky static noise. I could have sworn it was asking Foxy for help. I know I didn't enjoy being used like that."

" _Woof."_

_"_ Well,do you want one?"

" _Arf."_

"Then why'd you ask,silly Foxy? I did take the job he offered,the day shift. This means I won't be home during the day,but at night I can work on you and our other friends."

Foxy made a sad noise. Michael had given it mostly dog noises, although it could think like a human. 

* * *

Fat beads of sweat rolled down Jeremy's back and face.  _What had he just witnessed?_

_That was not glitching robots without a night mode. That was-_

Jeremy didn't know. He didn't think he wanted to. 

He was wrong to come to Freddie's,he should have left it with Michael and Fredbear Family Diner. Why did he think this was a good idea? It just dredged up things best left forgotten.

Was it like this during the day? Perhaps if he saw it during the day,it would be fine,and he could be as nonchalant as Phone Guy.

The animatronics had moved back to their stage. Chica had found her eyes and beak. Bonnie had his guitar again.  Freddie had not moved.

It was six. He was free to go.

 


	4. Chapter 4

One day,Michael doesn't show up at school. That in itself is a rarity,as Michael shows up consistently. The house is too quiet for him.

Jeremy assumes he's sick or something,and walks over to his house,just like normal. Things have been quieter since Charlie moved. Quieter still since the accident. Almost silent after Steven died.

But Jeremy doesn't want to think about that kind of stuff. He's here to beat the stuffing out of Michael in  _Popeye_ and  _Super Mario Bros. 3 ._

He knocks on the door. 

No answer. 

He tries the door bell.

_Bzzt._

Still no answer. 

He uses the last-ditch key. It's still where Michael had put it last,under the mat. It's not the most secure,but Jeremy's glad it's there.

Oddly enough,Michael isn't in the living room. He doesn't like to go near  ** _their_** rooms,or William's basement,so he spends a lot off time in the living room. 

If Michael is in one of his siblings rooms,Jeremy wouldn't want to overstep. He decides to check the basement.

It's unlikely that Mike's down there-he hates the room. However,maybe if William is in,he might know his son's whereabouts. Jeremy figures that as probable as Charlie moving back to town.

The basement is... _weird._ He would swear it was as if  _something_ was watching him.

There is no one visibly watching him.

He decides to check in the living room again. Maybe Michael was in the bathroom or something.

Mike still isn't there.

In a sudden burst,he remembers something Michael had talked about. His breath isn't coming right,it's stuck in his chest as he runs to Michael's bedroom. 

No one can answer the door if they're dead,can they?

No one is in Michael's room.

* * *

Of course, Michael is still alive. He turns up the next day at school,hair messy,bags under his eyes.

There was something Jeremy hadn't thought of. 

Yesterday was Elizabeth's birthday. She would have been thirteen,a real teenager.

* * *

 When Charlie was three,her brother Sammy went missing.

At four,she has forgotten her other half. 

Her mother left her and her father,Henry. Her father makes the most splendid toys- Elise and Stanley and her favorite  ** _Theodore._**

The happy purple rabbit loves her,and she loves him. She is so very happy,especially to play with her new friend.

She's known him since they were babies! Their fathers are very close- Mr. Afton is like her dad's brother!

This confuses Charlie. How could two people so different be so close? 

Mr. Afton is nothing like her dad-he wears dark suits and shiny shoes. His smile is off-putting ~~and his eye patch weirdos her out~~.

 Her dad is flannel shirts that smell like trees,even if he never goes outside. His beard is scratchy when ever he give Charlie kisses. She loves her dad.

Mr. Afton has a son. Michael. 

Although Charlie usually calls him Mickey. Mickey doesn't have unique toys made for him by his dad,but he does know how to make cookies with his mom. 

Mickey is Charlie's best friend. She doesn't understand why grown-ups say he looks so much like his dad-Mickey is so much more alive than grouchy old Mr. Afton.

When she is five,Mrs. Michael's mom has another baby. Elizabeth.

Charlie likes Elizabeth. She and Mickey call her Lizzie or Betsie. 

Sometimes Lizzie cries a lot,and Charlie thinks that maybe Mickey will be upset. His parents don't give him as much attention as they used to.

But Mickey is never upset,even when his dad tells him to be quiet. He makes Lizzie laugh.

At fifteen,Mr. Afton is opening a new restaurant. He calls it  _ **Circus Baby's Pizza World.**_ It's the sister location to her father's restaurant, Fredbear Family Dinner.

Michael has a brother now too. Steven,who could laugh or cry at the drop of a hat. He always carries around his Fredbear doll.

One of the few times she saw her father cry,it was on opening day. Not because of the joy he felt for his brother,but because of the tragedy thrust upon their family.

Her first day of sophomore year,she meets Jeremy Fitzgerald. He's Michael's neighbor,a nervous kind of guy. He laughs inconsolable at the thought that Michael was once called Mickey.

She doesn't know how to tell them she's moving. 

The night before she leaves,they sit in Jeremy's pool and stare up at the sky full of stars. She promises to call. To visit. To write.

* * *

 

The last time she saw Jeremy in person was a few months after his wedding. She writes fairly regularly. 

But she's not surprised to get a phone call from him. Or a voicemail actually. She missed the actual call.

Her university keeps her mind busy. She's following in her father's footsteps,learning all she can about mechanical engineering. After moving here,she made a few new friends. Jessica, Carlton, John and Marla. 

 "Charlie? Charlie,I need to talk to you. It's about Freddy's. There's a new one,but it's... weird. Say,you wouldn't happen to know where Michael is?"

* * *

This was a good idea,Michael thought. Simple,and it only broke a few laws. For something involving Freddie's,that was pretty much law-abiding.

A camera to watch the security guard. It was simple,really. He could watch the guard for suspicious activity without having to interact with him. 

Perhaps he could even work it to help him keep alive. A more helpful Hand-Unit.

And the best part is the guard wouldn't even know they were being monitored,just a little piece of Fazbear memorabilia.

He thinks he might call his new friend Carl.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

"You want to quit your job?"

"Marie,I'm not kidding. Something is wrong with that place. Remember when we were in high school? Some shit was always on at that place.  _Michael's brother died there for fu-"_

Marie fixed her glasses on her face. Damn,her ankles killing her. Why'd she let Jeremy marry her again?

She looked at Jeremy again,his floppy brown hair falling in his eyes,uniform rumpled.  _Oh yeah,because she loved this dumb idiot._

"Maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe you dreamt it. You aren't really used to staying up late. If it happens again tonight,ask them to move you to day shift."She compromised.

* * *

Charlie had been doing her best to avoid thinking of Jeremy's phone call. Her best was not nearly enough.

Freddy's was  _back._ It had been her father's pride and joy,along with Fredbears. Both locations had closed a year or two after her father's,well... disappearance. Freddy's had closed due to sanitation issues,and Fredbear's after some kind of springlock malfunction. 

It was enough to put Charlie on edge. 

And Jeremy had asked after Michael. Had he still not been found?

Where was Michael? He wasn't the kind of guy to just up and disappear. That was a page out of his father's book,and Mickey wanted to be nothing like him.

It wouldn't hurt to take a day off of school and visit her old home town,would it? She could swing by,see Jeremy and sweet Marie,help him hunt Michael down- _No,just because a new location opened didn't mean she had to go see it._

"Hey,are you alright?"Her friend Jessica asked."You've been kinda quiet and distant this morning?"

"Yeah..I'm,"Charlie paused,and took a deep breathe. It was just a day,right? Town wasn't far away."Hey,if I'm not in class tomorrow,could you lend me your notes?"

"Sure,I guess. Are you sick or something?"Jessica offered.

"No. Some family stuff came up."

* * *

Michael dusted his cheeks with extra powder. There,that was a tone that somewhat resembled human flesh.

He hoped none of the parents looked at him too close. From a distance,he looked like a somewhat sick or weak young man,but if you looked closer,he was faking it. A comb was ran through his hair. Perhaps he could repair this "Mangle". Or at least Foxy. Surely,Pirate's-excuse me  _Kid's Cove-_ would be more popular with animatronics that didn't look like deathtraps. 

He grabbed his shirt off the floor. First lesson,always put make up on before his shirt. He was not adept at applying it and tended to make a mess on his shirts. Make-up on your collar is suspicious.

The goldenrod shirt was buttoned. Then,time for the gloves. His hands were much too accessible,and he didn't bother putting make-up on. Gloves suited his purpose and didn't rub off on anything he touched. 

He looked in the mirror. Well,that was...At least he had nice eyes. 

Goddamn purple eyes.

He gave a deep sigh,hating the way it exposed his cracked yellow teeth.

Carl,his new toy,a pink frosted cupcake similar to the one Chica now held,was on his work desk,along with various parts. He plucked it from the desk,sending something else rolling off the desk.

Oh well,he'd just have to get that later. 

Foxy crooned him good luck. Michael smiled and bade it goodbye.

* * *

This might be a mistake. But here she is,packing her bags for a week in Harmony. 

Jessica had tried not to pry,but it was obvious she was curious. What might draw Charlie away from school? What family business did she have. 

When they had first became friends,it had seemed easier to just tell them a version of the truth: Her dad was dead,she was an only child,and her mother left.

After all,it wasn't like her dad was just going to  _pop back into her life._

Should she bring Theodore? Was that to childish?

No,childish would be skipping school to check on a pizzeria. Into the bag,Theodore. 

* * *

 

 The drive to the pizzeria had been fairly uneventful. Michael hadn't expected otherwise,but it was nice,considering how the next six hours might go.

The parking lot was busy,for a November Tuesday. He wondered if the inside was as vacant.

A few children ran here and there. After Michael punched in,he was able to walk to the back office without interaction. He garnered a look or two from parents,but no one stared too long.

He placed the cupcake down on the desk,positioning it  _just_ so it would be able to get the right shot. If the night shift did anything suspicious, such as y'know,being his father, Michael would know. 

After placing the cupcake,Michael started doing his job,monitoring the guests and/or the animatronics. The three animatronics on the main stage were well behaved he supposed. They were very clearly robots, with stops on the joints to prevent unnatural movements. The songs they played were repetitive,and brought back memories of another time, another pizzeria. 

He was glad they were....less eccentric than his former employers. Freddie did not declare him the birthday boy. Bonnie did not launch of his hand like a rocket. 

Although,after he moved to the Prize Corner,he began to question the validity of that statement. 

The Marionette. 

Commonly referred to as the Puppet,by children too young to understand it. 

It handed out gifts. Plushies and pens and pins all branded with the new Freddie Fazbears logo. There weren't many children at the parlor today,and it spent most of its time starring at Mike. 

It reminded Michael of a similar attraction they had once had at Fredbear's Family Dinner. His father called it a Puppet. He was not fond of the item. Henry would only look at it with a heartbreaking mix of shame and tears in his eyes.

This iteration of the Puppet had a slender black body with white buttons on its arms. The white stripes on its arms reminded Michael of a sock monkey. 

It's face is really what drew Michael in though. It had rosy-red cheeks just like the others in its generation. And like the ones at Circus Baby's Pizza World. Michael thought of the much smaller Minireena puppets that would appear sometimes randomly in his home.

For some reason,dark purple tear tracks had been added,along with red lip gloss. It's eyes were dark,with no pupils,just a slot for eyes.

As he was looking into them,he felt a sudden urge to check on Charlie.


	6. Chapter 6

The road to Harmony isn't long,but it gives her time to contemplate her choice as she turns down cracking asphalt roads. Heat from the sun beats down upon her,and not for the first time she wishes the AC worked. 

She remembers that the air at the old Freddy's location always smelled when it turned on. Like something dying. 

The air conditioning at Fredbear's had been non-resistant,despite how hot it was,especially inside a suit.  Not that Charlie had much experience with that. Occasionally memories appeared like day dreams,two children playing in a cupboard,(she knows this must be wrong because the other child looks like _her)_ the old yellow Spring Bonnie moving swiftly and fluidly,even her mother's face. Sometimes she sees her father laying forward,head slumped on his desk,face down in a pool of blood. 

She should get an Icee.

* * *

 

"If that's all,that'll be $3.97,ma'am."The cashier said. 

Charlie forked over some cash and received change in response.

"Hey,did you hear about the Freddie's?"She asked,digging for any information anyone might have.

"Well,yeah. It's just kind of weird,y'know. I mean,I went there when I was a kid. Actually,we mostly hung around Fredbear's".

The cashier had to be about Charlie's age,with tan skin and blue eyes. 

"Yeah,me too. Michael,Jeremy and I used to go to the old Fredbear's Family Diner."

"Wait,did you go to Harmony High? It's me,Zack."

Charlie took a long sip of her icee. Cherry.

"Oh,yeah. I saw you at the wedding."

Zack ruffled his hair.

"Crazy,huh? I never thought Jeremy'd ge-"A bell chimed as a group of teenagers entered the store."Hold on a sec,one of these punks tries to shop lift every time they come in,but they never do cuz I stare at 'em."

* * *

 

I should have gotten the blue flavor,Charlie thinks as she sips at her drink. The machine had done that wonky thing when it dispenses a uneven mixture. She had thought it had seemed a bit liquidy.

Charlie had stayed and chatted with Zack a few moments more. He hadn't seen Michael either-not since high school. 

Charlie knew about the accident,of course. Jeremy and Michael were her best friends,and Jeremy had called her that night in a panic,as did Michael. She,in a weird way,wished she could have been there to be a shoulder to cry on.

 But surely,someone must have seen him lately. People don't just disappear.

She puts her drink back down into the cup holder.

* * *

 

Once,Michael had broken the picture frame in the hallway. He and Charlie had been playing too wildly and had knocked the portrait of his family down.

The picture frame splintered into chunks of rose-stained wood,the glass shattering into a thousand tiny shards he could never put back together. 

The panic in his chest had felt like he was dying at the time. Now,a deadman,he could say this panic was much worse than a broken frame.

He shoved the feeling down into his chest. Everything was fine. 

Charlie was alright. She was better off without him.

Maybe it was time to switch areas. The prize corner was safe enough without him watching.

* * *

"I think I was less scared being scooped."Michael said. This time,he was working on Foxy's cooling system. Originally,he had planned on using a older version based on its old design,but he had scrapped that idea in favor of a more modern version. 

" _Woof."_

"Boy,do I! What a week!" Foxy chirped as Michael fiddled with the delicate wires inside its chest. "Sorry about that,buddy."

"It was just so...surreal and sudden. I haven't seen Charlie since before the accident. And then I needed to go see her. It was like looking into its eyes caused it."

" _Rrhhn._ "

"Well,what do you mean? Besides,even if she was in danger,why would I have felt that? And how would I have been able to help? I'm a rotting corpse for Christ's sake."

" _Arrff_."

"Fine,whatever. Be like that."

* * *

 

Charlie had plenty of time to think it over. She knew that Jeremy hadn't asked her to come visit in his phone call,and certainly hadn't offered her his couch,but she also had a warrant to sleep on his couch anytime. 

She rang the doorbell. Surprisingly,or maybe not so surprisingly, Jeremy's wife Marie answered.

Marie looked good,happy. She was wearing a apron lightly dusted with flour. 

"Hey,Charlie. Didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah,well,I just popped over."

"Jeremy's sleeping right now. He got a new job down at Freddie's,but it's a night shift."

"He called about that actually. Something like it being haunted?" Charlie brushed a lock of her hair back behind her ear."I came to investigate,naturally. So,what are you doing? How's that job at the printer place going?"

"Oh,it's alright. John won't give me a damn promotion,even though I put the hours in."

"Ugh,what a jerk. Y'know,I hear women make much less for the same job."

"Yeah,and you're in the mechanics field. That's gotta be difficult."

"The other day,one of my teachers ' _lost_ ' a test-along with most of my lady classmates!"

"Oh,babe."

"Don't seduce my wife,Charlie."a very tired Jeremy said. He started the coffee maker.

"Well,I never!"Charlie said in a proper accent,pretending to be scandalized.

"Aww,babe,don't worry. I love you,and I let you knock me up."

"I love you too,babe."

"Speaking of baby Charlie,how is the little babe?"

"I told you,we're naming her after one of the greatest lyrical minds of our time."Marie laughed.

"Jeremy,I swear,if you name your daughter after Madonna,I'm gonna disown you."

 Jeremy stuck his tongue out at her.

"I can't believe you're going to be a dad."

"Yep. Staying for dinner?"

"Staying for the week."

* * *

 

"So about the new Freddie's...."Charlie began.

"It's weird. I don't like it. The animatronics move at night. And not like they're doing a show. Like they're hunting. A guy on the phone told me they're glitching,and there's no doors or anything."

Charlie put down her fork.

"Like they can get into the office?"

"Yeah,and he told me to put on a Freddy mask. It was an old one too,from the closed restaurant."

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

"Jeremy,are you okay?" Charlie asked. She yawned. Jeremy would be leaving for the Pizzeria soon.

"Yeah,it's uhh. I'm just...a little scared."He confessed,rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

"Like when Mr. Demartino found out you plagiarized that essay?"Charlie taunted,eyebrows raised.

"That was an accident,Charlie."

"An accident you just had to tell Jonah about?"She smiled.

"It's just..unsettling. I don't like it."

"Well,why don't I go with you tonight?"She offered."It is my dad's restaurant after all"

"I only have the one mask,and what would you do if an animatronic got in?" 

Charlie thought for a second.

"I can hide under the desk. They won't see me."

"Charlie,you're brilliant."

 "I know."Charlie agreed.

* * *

 

Marie had a much more regular childhood than the average Harmony child. She grew up in a town called Blue Sky,which was famous for its award-winning pumpkin patches. Or so the pumpkin patches would have her believe.

She was raised by her mother. Her father wasn't around and Marie didn't want him to be. 

He had tried once,a brief period that lead to Janet and Marie Thompson leaving the town of Blue Sky for beautiful Harmony.

In high school,she wanted to rebel. Kiss boys on motorcycles,and skip class,and be her own person.

But that sounded like a lot of work. So she ended up not doing that.

At some point in her high school experience,she decided she wanted to attend nursing school. None would accept her,so she got a job at the local Good Will.

And who did she see on one rainy Tuesday,browsing the store,looking for a umbrella? 

Jeremy Fitzgerald.

Most people who had grown up in Harmony left to escape the unexplainable horrors they had witnessed. But not Jeremy.

He was unable to find a umbrella,so she had offered him hers. 

He tried to be a gentleman and pull the "I can't let a lady walk home without an umbrella" card,but Marie was having none of it. 

"Then don't,"She had snapped,and Jeremy left.

He did come back another day. Apparently,he had enjoyed talking to her. 

* * *

Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

"You're bringing a... Bonnie plush?"

Charlie's eyebrows knitted,a look of irritation forming on her face.

" _Theodore is not a "Bonnie" plush."_

"Huh. Why are you bringing him?"He asked,buckling up his seatbelt. Safety first!

"..."

Charlie narrowed her eyes at Jeremy.

"Okay. So when was the last time you saw Michael?"

"I got a phone call,a couple of years ago..."

"Did he say he was leaving,and not to look for him?"

"Yeah. It was weird too,his voice sounded hoarse? Metallic?"

"Where do you think he was going?"

"Well,if I knew that,I would have looked,wouldn't I have?"Charlie snapped.

Jeremy looked over to the passenger seat.

"Charlie,"

"Yes,Jeremy?"Charlie sighed.

"What if Michael never left?"

* * *

Michael turned on the screen. It connected seamlessly to the camera,and the tinker felt a small glow of pride,as he always did when a project worked out well.

A grainy video played on his screen. Tonight,he would not enjoy _The Immortal and The Restless_ ,but instead would watch the night shift.

For a second,he considered the moral dilemma he faced. Spy on a man who might have done nothing wrong,or catch a murderer? 

_Then again,his father had used a similar,more obvious method to spy on his children. Or so the secret private room he had discovered long ago would have him believe. He could still remember the chills he felt down his newly rotting body as he hated typed in the dreadful year,only to discover the cameras._

_Bile had rose in his throat. How long had this been going on- since the accident? But why monitor an empty room,the quiet tomb only disturbed by Michael's unheard tears shed onto his brother's comforter?_

_Or was it,in some twisted way, to keep an eye on Michael_?

Then he realized he was a walking,talking reanimated corpse. What use did he have for a guard's privacy?

* * *

 "So this is it..."Charlie took a deep breath. The top plastic smell did not cover up the freshly bleached carpet."The new-"

"And improved!"Jeremy interrupted,shooting Charlie a look that said  _try me._

"Freddie Fazbear's Pizza."Charlie finished. The checkered linoleum tile was scuffed,but it matched the kind they had at her father's old pizzeria. Dingy gray walls were covered in posters obviously drawn by children,showcasing different facets of the pizzeria. Had the area been a tad brighter,she might have noticed some of the stranger posters. Hung from the ceiling,shinny foil stars fluttered in the slight breeze. Charlie lifted her eyes to the stage,where three animatronics stood.

"They don't look active..."She commented.

First off the bat,the new Freddie. Toy Freddie. He certainly...Well,he was a Freddy. The red band on his hat was a nice addition.

Jeremy looked at the clock,which was of course a Freddie Fazbear clock. 

"C'mon,Charlie. It's almost midnight."

The pair walked down the dim hall way. 

  "Hey,I don't remember this being-"Before Jeremy could reach out and touch the new addition to the desk,a phone rang.

" _Ah...hello, hello! Uh, see, I told you your first night wouldn't be a problem. You're a natural!_ _Uh, by now I'm sure you've noticed the older models sitting in-"_

"Jeremy,who is that? What is he talking about?"

 "I know next to nothing about him,and we've never talked. They're probably prerecorded. Anyway, I call him Phone Guy."

* * *

 

Michael fought to stay planted to the couch,his feet itching or but at into action. The model he was working on,a small bear he was calling Helpy for now,hit the carpeted floor with a muffled clatter. 

The big plot twist that Clara had been dead since episode 2:12,and her twin sister Lara had filled in for her,pretending to be Clara,had been less confusing.

What the hell were Charlie and Jeremy doing there? There should have only been one night guard. 

He tried to work it out logically. The room was dark-maybe it was a  _different_ Charlie and Jeremy. 

But in his heart ,he knew his best friends were being idiots. This idea was confirmed when Charlie uttered the line: "Y'know,if this guy had a British accent,I'd think  _he_ was Michael."

* * *

 

The office was quiet as Jeremy and Charlie flipped through the screens. It seemed as though the animatronics were trying harder to get into the office.

The phone call ended,and a voice took over. 

The man cleared his throat. 

"Hello,hello? This is not a prerecorded message,Jeremy."

Jeremy froze,nearly causing him to stop winding the music box. 

"Jeremy,I uh know you're there. Is someone in the office with you?"

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

If there was one thing Jeremy Lewis Fitzgerald was known for,it wouldn't be his intelligence. 

Especially in moments like this,where his brain freezes and stills. 

Charlie is calling his name. The voice on the phone is still speaking,still waiting for a reply. That damn cupcake toy is still staring at him. 

He stares back.

_And then it hits him._

Adrenaline rushes his body,fight or flight taking control.

He still can't move. He still can't move.

He still doesn't know what to do-and the world isn't paused,the world is still moving.

That jumbled heap of broken limbs is waking up,the music box is coming unwound,the performers are no longer bound to the stage and-

* * *

"Jeremy,if you don't answer,I'll have to come down there," The voice said,not threatening,but rather more of a "I'll come over and check in you pipes."

Charlie can hardly think,but then a response flows from her lips.

"Wh-Who are you?"

"See,I know we'll get along great! There's nothing to be afraid of,just like I always say. I'll be over in a minute. Keep an eye on the cams for a sec,wouldja?"

There was a noise,probably of a receiver being set back in its cradle. The Phone Guy,whoever that is,was heading for their office.

Jeremy is staring off into space,eyes watery. His breath sounds shallow in his chest. They can't do this,he shouldn't have brought Charlie,what are they doing,they need to go,need to hide,and-

There is something,something in the vents. He can hardly pull the mask over his face,and it's a miracle that Charlie can scramble under the desk.

The thing (the new bonnie,he thinks,from his panic induced haze),stares at him with wide green eyes.

It believes his disguise,or at least pretends to. It leaves the office,thankfully. 

"Jeremy?"Charlie pipes up from below the desk."Oh thank god. I thought we were going to die there."

"Hiya,Jeremy."A man's voice says. "It's nice to f-finally meet you."

Jeremy looks up,his heart rate racing. 

The man is standing under a vent,which he probably used to enter the office. He has shaggy brown hair that falls in his eyes,like it's been too long since he had a hair cut.

"C'mon,Jeremy,it's bad form to ignore someone."

Charlie crawls out from under the desk,fists raised. 

"I believe we,uh,spoke briefly on the p-phone,didn't we? My name is Matthew. And you are?"

He isn't there to hurt them.

"Charlie. And you already knew Jeremy."

"Yes. I know all the night guards."

"W-Who are you? What is going on?" Jeremy blurted out,as if mirroring Charlie's earlier questioning.

"Matthew,like I said. I'm here to help you."

* * *

_The summer is warm,sunlight streaming down the way it does in late afternoon._

_His hands are starting to get a little pruned,but Charlie and Michael are having such a good time. And they are,they aren't talking about Elizabeth or William,or why Henry hasn't come home. They aren't talking about how Charlie will move to be with her aunt at the end of the summer,or the bruise Michael is insisting was just an accident._

_But it can't last forever;nothing can._

_Change can wait for now._

_Right now,Jeremy is hankering for a tall glass of icy lemonade._

_Michael pulls Charlie down off of her pool float and into the water. Charlie,in retaliation,squeals and splashes him. Michael laughs and splashes her right back._

_Jeremy gets up to fetch some drinks. He wonders if there is any soda left in the fridge,or if they already drank it._

_When he comes back out,Charlie is chasing Michael around the yard._

_And he wishes again that things could stay this way._

_He doesn't want Michael to be hurt,doesn't want Charlie to leave._

_However,the world hardly cares about the wishes of fifteen year old boy. Charlie has already started packing,and started making friends in Hurricane._

_It's best that way. Henry hasn't come home,and they can't expect Jen to stay there until or if he decides to return._

_Charlie deserves to be happy almost more than anyone. Her new friend,Sarah,is nice and convinces her to occasionally do wild things. Like buy bikinis. ~~(Jeremy hasn't missed the way Michael looks at Charlie,eyes wide. And he also hasn't missed how often Charlie's eyes linger on Michael's bare chest)~~_

_Charlie eventually manages to push Michael back into the pool,and he emerges soaked. Michael shakes like a dog,mostly to annoy Charlie than to actually dry off._

_Charlie sticks her tongue out at him,and elects to sit next to Jeremy under the shade. She takes a glass of lemonade,and nearly drains the entire glass in one sip. Michael takes his other side,and the last glass of lemonade._

_Jeremy throws an ice cube at him_. 

* * *

There are typically two kinds of monsters you shouldn't get wet: the mummy,(soggy bandages,no thank you!) and a Frankenstein-type creation,(stitches lead to water seeping in,and no one wants that.) Zombies could also be on the above list,but if zombies have been created,you should have more concern for yourself than them. 

Michael could be classified as all three. He was preserved,but on a different level from a mummy. He was a corpse,but had no desire to eat brains. And the mad scientist lent his stitches to Michael.

So in conclusion: Michael should under no circumstances get wet. 

His dilemma: It was currently pouring rain.

This was not so out of character for Harmony. Rain would heavily shower for a few hours,and then kinda clear up. 

Before,Michael had almost no reason to go outside when it rained. He had no urgent business,nothing that couldn't be rescheduled for a sunnier day.

Even if he wasn't concerned about... _structural damage,_ rain could melt his carefully crafted disguise. Makeup washes up,and also everything smells a little weird after it rains.

However,now is not the time to be concerned about his appearance. He's shoving his feet into running shoes he's had since high school,and almost as an after thought,he grabs a flimsy plastic raincoat he hadn't worn in years. Michael might not even have make-up on right now.

He's lucky the car stalls. He has no reason to act like this. He is nothing Charlie,nothing to Jeremy. They aren't murderers,nor are they in danger.

Dejected,he walks back into the house.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to.


End file.
